2. home-theater
  3. 1062368059

Which processor from this group and why.

I am finally geting my first theatre setup together. Have a dedicated 35 foot by 25 foot basement for the room. There is a dedicated 220V/60A line into a Cinepro 120 sequencer and several Cinepro Pro Power 120's for the balanced power. Power amps for LCR are Crown PS-200's in mono (300W). The surround amp is a Crown PS-400 in stereo (190W/ch). All speakers are Klipsch. Corner horns for the mains and LaScala's for the center and surrounds. Subwoofer's are 2 Bag End 18". Its time to get the pre-amp/processor and get the sound system going and get the video going after that. There are 4 processors I am looking at, all in the same basic price/performance range. They are, Sunfire Theatre Grand 3....Anthem AVM20....Aragon stage one...B&K reference 50. I am looking for feedback from anyone who has used any of these pieces. Why you liked it and what you didnt like about it.
tm455
5 responses Add your response
danielk141
489 posts
 
I'd try a REF30 if I were you. The REF50 had some teething problems, I'm nut sure if they're dialed in yet.
The one advantage of the REF50 is Dolby Pro LogicII. All my DVDs are AC3 or DTS so I don't really miss that.
The B&K has excellent bass management. If someone says that's no big deal, they've never worked with or seriously dialed in their room...
Yes, I own a REF30, and I am biased.
If you have access to the new Fosgate processor, check it out! My local dealer sells Arcam, Sherbourn & Fosgate now. They tried the latest Aragon, it wasn't appreciably better than the Fosgate, and it is $1K or $2K more.

Good Luck!
haskin1234
3 posts
 
Im using the Lexicon MC12 with my four Bag Ends and love it.

Tony........
flemke
595 posts
 
I agree with Danielk141. The notch filter in the ref.30 is the best tweek I have found so far.

Tim
readyandwillingprodu
1 posts
 
Hey Buddy, You mentioned that you have a dedicated 220v/60amp cercuit breaker hooked up to a cinepro 120 sequencer and several power pro 120's.. are you connecting two cinepr power balancers in a Y Cable configuration in to two dedicated 120 vac outlets and combining the two power pro balancers into one 220/240 vac outlet for your crown? I'm curiouse to know how you are getting 220v.....Thank you in advance!!
flrnlamb
508 posts
 
yeah, you're using Klipsch speakers for an HT setup, placed in corners, and presumably center placed along the wall as well. I'd get the audyssey involved, and would look into the Integra 9.8, and similar! Acoustics will be a problem, lots of room boom and frequency distortion. The audyssey should smooth this out. Also, the integra is probabaly a decent pre.
Yeah, I'd definitely stay away from any pre with no EQ circuit. Good luck
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